Sci's HST Log

Sci said:
Was going to hit the whole body program again tonight, but I am too exhausted. Whole body is pretty sore from Wednesday's workout. It was hard and heavy, it was the best workout I can ever remember, maybe on equal par with the results I got in my thighs from Korte's program back in the day! I am loving myo-reps, fullbody workouts! I am however probably going to have to drop down to 2/week, that seems to be the needed time for recovery, since I am hitting near my limits now in rep maxes.

I am going to try and get a personal record on every single lift tomorrow! I am at least going to give it a good shot.:cool:
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Sounds like you are hitting it hard, Sci! GREAT!!

Wish I could give you some feedback on your dilema with 5's, but I've "slow rolled" my 5's microcycle such that I take 4 weeks of 5's from start to finish; though I'm contemplating doing 2 weeks of working up to my 5RM, then 2 weeks of 5RM workouts... Anyway, hopefully those more experienced with weigh in on this.
 
So it may be best to slow-roll the 5s, and basically do a small zig-zag with the loads as I ramp up the 5s to my maxes, as per Bryan's pure HST model. I may just do that. I will finish the 8s tonight and go all out to my find my 8-10 rep maxes. (hope to find a spotter). Then I will start the loads at submaximal 5 rep sets, and slowly work up to my 5 rep maxes, and may be some negatives work in the last week or two.

Thanks for the feedback.
 
November 24,2012

Going one set to failure to find my maxes for the 8-12 range.
P5RM stands for predicted 5rep max.

Weekend Deadlift 1x5: 285x5


Rear Delt Cable Rows: 120x15, 140x10/ P5RM: 160


WG Bench Press: 205x8/ P5RM: 220




Upright Rows: 95x10/ P5RM: 110

Machine Dips: 320x5


Incline Press: 135x14/ P5RM: 180


CG Chins: 200x10/ P5RM: 225


Leg Press: 410x10/ P5RM: 465


Calf Raises: 380x10/ P5RM: 430

Bodyweight: 204 lb.s (!!) gaining serious muscle, I was 192 when I started back in August!




Volume was low, easy workout just had to push each set to the limit. Now I have some numbers to go by to set up the last 3 weeks of 5s. I will try to get 5x5 sets across, but may end up dropping volume as the loads get really heavy.
Looking forward to the sub-maximal loads at this point. Joints are a bit tired.
 
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Hey Sci,

Meant to chime in sooner.

You've been using ~30 reps per exercise. That's a good amount of work. No sense in dropping that right off over the next three weeks but it won't be easy to do with higher loads.

I'd probably try something like this:

Week 1: 4 x 5 x (~7RM load) + met set @ 75% x ~10-15 reps - slightly easier week
Week 2: 1 x 5, 3 x 4 x (~6RM load) + met set @ 75% x ~10 reps
Week 3: 1 x 5, 4 x 3 x (~5RM load) + met set @ 75% x ~10 reps - toughest week

Four work sets plus a metabolic blaster set to finish up. As you probably won't know what your 7RM's, and 6RM's are, just start week 1 with loads that are a bit higher than your 8RM loads and then increment from your 8RM loads until you are at your 5RM loads for the third week.
 
Ok, so I have been thinking about it, and all the best gains in my life have been on programs hitting the same lift three times/week. I have been playing with the idea of reducing it to twice/week, mainly because work and family and life are just so demanding that I can't always religiously make it to the gym 3x/week, but I am going to discipline myself and make it happen.

I have decided to stick to the vanilla HST progression loading model, and "slow-roll" it as was recommended above.

Doing volume at 5x5 sets across, which is pretty demanding, but keeps total rep volume up at 25 reps per exercise.

Frequency of 3x/week. 5 sets of 5 reps, or cluster to 25 total reps.

Workout 1: 75% 5 rm
Workout 2: 80% 5rm
Workout 3: 85% 5rm

Workout 4: 90% 5rm
Workout 5: 95% 5rm
Workout 6: 100% 5rm

Workout 7: 100% 5rm
Workout 8: 100% 5rm
Workout 9: 100% 5rm

Week 4: test new maxes for next cycle.

Week 5: SD

If this workout proves too hard, I will reduce the loads to something more like Lol recommended above. Good advice bro!
 
Rep clusters for all exercises was 10+5+5+5 with "+" representing a 30 second pause.

All loads were ~75% of my 5RM.

Workout took just under an hour. Seemed fast. I was surprised how intense it was doing the submaximal loads, but clustering so as to maximize fiber recruitment. I feel I have found the prefect exercise selection for my body-type and my specific goals.

Rear Delt Cable Rows: 120 lbs

WG Bench Press: 165 lbs

Upright Rows: 85 lbs

Incline Press: 135 lbs

CG Pulldown: 165 lbs

Leg Press: 350 lbs

Calf Machine: 320 lbs
 
Did an abbreviated workout tonight due to time restrictions with childcare at the gym. (4 y.o. daughter comes along sometimes)
Frankly I may continue this abbreviated routine as I don't feel anything is really "missing".

All exercises were done with 80% of 5rm. All done for 5 sets of 5 reps. 30 seconds rest between sets.

Delt Barbell Rows: 135#
standing upright with torso at a 45 angle from floor, wide grip, basically a hybrid between rear delt rows and upright rows, focusing on the deltoids, traps and rhomboids to pull with elbows flared out. Also gets an intense working of the brachialis.

Bench Press: 175#
felt light, actually did 6 sets on accident. In the past I have been skeptical of "zig-zag" that happens in HST cycles, but it is nice to give the tendons a break at the beginning of each minicycle (15s, 10s, 5s, etc.). I know the loads are going to get painful soon enough!

(skipped upright rows and incline press to save time, as they are rather redundant after the above lifts)

Pulldowns: 180#
also felt light. Got a really good upper body pump though by this point.

Leg Press: 370#
Felt heavy, but not maximal, my thighs are noticeable fuller than they have been in years.

Calf Machine: 340#
easy.


I am no longer skeptical about zig-zag. It seems wise to help prevent injuries, and I am definitely getting a workout even during this first week of 5s. The second and third week are going to be brutal I suspect. :eek:
 
Today worked with 85% of my 5rm. 5 sets of 5.

Cable Rows: 140#

Bench Press: 185#

Incline Press: 155# (decided to keep these, works everything different than regular bench)

Pulldowns: 190#

Leg Press: 395#

Seated Leg curls: 105# (new exercise, decided to hit some hammies)

Calf Raises: 360#

The last set was pretty hard. on all of these. Had to take 30 seconds to a full minute between sets. Will probably have to increase the rest between sets as the weights ramp up to my 5RM.
 
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workout log December 4, 2012

Shoulder impingement is back again.:( I have been through this cycle a few times, I do a bunch of shoulder rehab work, working my rotator cuff, and rhomboids, serratus, etc. and my shoulder pain goes away....with the shoulder pain gone, I get over-confident, lazy and stop doing the rehab stuff, and then the shoulder pain creeps back! I decided to do the shoulder rehab work daily with light weights and keep it separate from my regular workouts, and do it no matter what!
Rehab work consists of the following:
1) bent laterals, focusing on the rhomboids actually, squeezing the shoulder blades back in retraction, and pulling the elbows back as far as possible.

2) external rotations, the obvious standby for infraspinitus strength.

3) side-lying laterals, using extremely light weights to activate the supraspinitus without exacerbating the tear.

4) scap pushups/raises, activating the serratus anterior.

Anyway...I am in to week 2 of the 5s, and things are getting heavy.
Working with 90% of my 5RM for all exercises. Dropped volume down to 4 sets of 5 to accomodate the loads.

Cable Rows: 150#

Bench Press: 200# (impingement issues back, I will have to switch to Wide grip dips, luckily I tested my 5RM for these just in case I had to switch mid-cycle.)

Pulldowns: 200#

Incline Press: 160# (slight impingement, but minimized if I keep shoulder blades bakc and only do the top portion of range of motion, stopping the bar about eye level, and not bringing the bar to chest. I may keep these in the modified version, as long as impingement doesn't occur)

Leg Press: 420# getting stronger on these for sure. It feels easier than the lighter loads did a week or so ago.

Leg Curls: 120#

Calf Raises: 380# (I am maxing out the machine (400) and will have to switch to single leg raises to increase the load)


I was going to play around with some arm isolations, but I picked up some 25# dumbells to do some light curls, and my arms were already sore and trashed after the rows and pulldowns! No bicep work needed.

I did some tricep extensions with 75#, but I probably won't bother with these much, especially if I am doing weighted dips.

bodyweight holding steady at 202#.
 
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I find isometrics to be quite analgesic for rotator cuff issues. Have you had the rehab prescribed or more as you go along you're figuring it out?
 
AlexAustralia said:
I find isometrics to be quite analgesic for rotator cuff issues. Have you had the rehab prescribed or more as you go along you're figuring it out?
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This is the program I have figured out over the years, that has worked for me in the past. Within a few weeks of following this program, my shoulder feels like new, but I have been horrible at sticking with it, and I am learning my lesson...:o
 
Dec. 6, 2012

95% of my 5RM for all exercises, 4 sets of 5 reps.

Cable Rows: 155

Dip Machine: 305 this was really heavy, but not the same feeling as bench or regular dips, I am going to get a new dip belt this weekend, and do weighted dips.

Pulldowns: 210 really hard

Incline Press: 170 not too bad, getting stronger on these

Leg Press: 440 felt like I was going to black out!:eek:

Leg Curls: 125

Single Calf Raises: 100 these were really hard, much harder than doing 400 with both legs, probably because I weigh 200, so this weight has to be figured in also.

The loads are getting ridiculously heavy, I think I will follow Lol's suggestion above and do what I can with my 5 rm and then drop the weight for some added volume.
 
When I started to stall on my 5RM, I changed from 3x5 to 5x3. The triples enabled me to continue gaining strength for a good while when I stalled and my 5RM afterwards was much higher indeed. On bench I stalled around 110kgs and when I finished progressing on triples it was a 125kg 5RM.

Also, I'm not sure if you're a coffee/tea drinker, but caffeine is the nut high for strength work IMO, (and the size follows).
 
AlexAustralia said:
When I started to stall on my 5RM, I changed from 3x5 to 5x3. The triples enabled me to continue gaining strength for a good while when I stalled and my 5RM afterwards was much higher indeed. On bench I stalled around 110kgs and when I finished progressing on triples it was a 125kg 5RM.

Also, I'm not sure if you're a coffee/tea drinker, but caffeine is the nut high for strength work IMO, (and the size follows).
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Hey, that a good idea. I think i would rather do that, 5x3s for awhile, that will allow me to progress the loads even further in the last week of my HST cycle. Thanks Alex.
 
No dramas. It works well. I usually did the first set 1-2 increments lower than the rest. So if my work sets were at 110kgs I'd do 107.5-110-110-110-110/112.5, or sometimes 105-107.5-110-110-112.5 etc. Obviously the idea is to increment the weight whenever you can, and for me it was 'more quickly' than using a 5RM load. Just playing it by ear and seeing how I was feeling. There was definitely a couple of sessions where I punched through more than one PR within those 5 sets.
 
Pretty sore today. Not typical DOMS, but a deep ache, that often accompanies very heavy workouts. Most surprisingly, one of the sorest parts of my body has been the biceps and brachialis, and this is without any sort of curls, just compounds: pulls and rows.
I have done a bit of tricep isolations sporadically, but 95% of what I have done for arms is simple compound presses and pulls.

I broke out the measuring tape today, and was happy to see that I have reached to 15 3/4" of right arm flexed (cold).:cool: that would probably put me at 16 inches pumped, which has been a goalpost marker for me since i first picked up the iron. I believe that the biggest my arms ever were is 15 3/4", so I am already to that point at least in my comeback. In fact I think I am at my past record in terms of lean mass, any muscle I gain from here on out will be new territory for me.:)
 
Sci said:
Dec. 6, 2012

95% of my 5RM for all exercises, 4 sets of 5 reps.

Cable Rows: 155

Dip Machine: 305 this was really heavy, but not the same feeling as bench or regular dips, I am going to get a new dip belt this weekend, and do weighted dips.

Pulldowns: 210 really hard

Incline Press: 170 not too bad, getting stronger on these

Leg Press: 440 felt like I was going to black out!:eek:

Leg Curls: 125

Single Calf Raises: 100 these were really hard, much harder than doing 400 with both legs, probably because I weigh 200, so this weight has to be figured in also.

The loads are getting ridiculously heavy, I think I will follow Lol's suggestion above and do what I can with my 5 rm and then drop the weight for some added volume.
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Massive quote (because I'm lazy to cull it :P) for a short question, how does the dips machine operate in terms of applying load?
 
Sci said:
I broke out the measuring tape today, and was happy to see that I have reached to 15 3/4" of right arm flexed (cold).:cool: that would probably put me at 16 inches pumped, which has been a goalpost marker for me since i first picked up the iron. I believe that the biggest my arms ever were is 15 3/4", so I am already to that point at least in my comeback. In fact I think I am at my past record in terms of lean mass, any muscle I gain from here on out will be new territory for me.:)
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Hey, that's great Sci. :cool: Although I'm not fussed about arm size, in my book, it's never a bad thing when they grow a bit bigger. :)

I often wonder whether I should bother to do any direct arm work? All the upper-body work I do involves arms a lot, but I also know that direct work does make a difference. I think it may be a lot to do with increased glycogen storage adding to the pumped-up effect because I don't think my arms get noticeable stronger than when I just rely on heavy chins and dips.
 
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